2024 ELECTION THREAD
The next presidential race will be here soon! Please see current Bovada odds. Thoughts?
10460 Replies
As the eminently quotable H.L. Mencken said: "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."
Incidentally, he is also the guy of "one day the white house will be adorned by a downright moron" (which he said circa 1920) fame, as well as other gems.
Or even, what the populists convince them is best for them.
and how is this different from what other politicians do?
Fair point. Speaking only for myself, populism is kinda one of those "know it when I see it" type things.
Populism is when the intellectuals disagree with what the people want.
Dude, the people are voting for Trump. I'm beginning to suspect that the people can't be trusted. I guess that makes me an intellectual.
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The demagogue is one who preaches doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots.
The demaslave is one who listens to what these idiots have to say and pretends to believe it himself.
In case anyone hasn't seen the other quote I was referring to:
[quote=H.L Mencken, 1920]
All of us, if we are of reflective habit, like and admire men whose fundamental beliefs differ radically from our own. But when a candidate for public office faces the voters he does not face men of sense; he faces a mob of men whose chief distinguishing mark is the fact that they are quite incapable of weighing ideas, or even of comprehending any save the most elemental — men whose whole thinking is done in terms of emotion, and whose dominant emotion is dread of what they cannot understand. So confronted, the candidate must either bark with the pack or count himself lost. ... All the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious and mediocre — the man who can most adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum.
The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.
[/quote]
No new wars, brokered peace with Israel and Arab nations, strong economy, strong foreign trade policies, energy independent, secure border, patriotism at all time high, etc, etc...then Dems turned the country into a 3rd world banana republic shithole in 2 years.
Populism is to render to the most simplistic of narrative about issues so that all the simple minded people can comprehend, usually by negating any context to the issues .
A binary thinking of some sort to everything .
Like the famous phrase toward conflicts : « you are for me or against me » .
No in between position allowed .
With such a high number of functional illetrates today, populism works great .
Like 20% adults suffer from that .
I was ill let the reader guess in which parts there is the most ….
Well seem in France (and Uk lately ?) your wet dream didn’t happen.
https://apnews.com/article/france-electi...
French vote gives leftists most seats over far right, but leaves hung parliament and deadlock
Many voters decided that keeping the far right from power was more important to them than anything else, backing its opponents in the second round, even if they weren’t from the political camp they usually support.
America
i can hardly walk to 7-11 without dodging mortar fire and rpg's
thanks obama!!
The guys who want the president to be above the law and have no problem with seizing power via insurrection are complaining that the other guys are turning the country into a banana republic. A+ trolling guys, you almost had me believing you were actually this stupid.
Argument can be made that America under fascist, authoritarian, 'banana republic' Trump, would be better than America under Biden shadow government.
You are saying you are happy to have Trump as a dictator with no checks on his power, correct? Why don't you just say that instead of dancing around it for days?
You are saying you are happy to have Zelenskyy as a dictator with no checks on his power, correct?
Oh good, "whatabout Zelensky." No idea what you're even getting at or how it's relevant, seems you're just avoiding answering the question.
The president has been above the law for a while now. Bush lied to start a war in
Iraq, got a huge number of people killed, and there were no impeachments, no indictments, nothing.
He won reelection, finished his 8 years, and is still living out the rest of his life as a rich man who will never spend a day in court (or jail) because of his crimes.
I don't recall conservatives actually claiming the president is above the law until now, just claiming he hadn't broken any.
Why would I answer your preposterous question. It was stupid. It wasn't even a question. It was a statement. Your reply seems you're just avoiding answering the question though.
I was clarifying that I had understood your post correctly. You literally said that America would be better off under Trump as he has been described here (authoritarian, fascist) etc. than under Biden. You're right that it's stupid, but it's what you said.
Or to be more precise, you keep playing word games, so you said "an argument could be made" for the above.
Kamala is the most smarmy. I go on tilt when hearing her speak.
Does anyone really like her? I can't imagine her as a great and just leader.
Yeah Putin is certainly not a dictator which is what Zelensky fighting against ….
I didn’t know the level of billlionaires jumping out the window was as great in Ukraine as in Russia .